The big news today in partisan, gridlocked Washington is that Republican Congressman Don Young of Alaska has endorsed Democratic Representative Mazie Hirono of Hawaii in her bid for the United States Senate. Rep. Young has even taken the unusual step of filming an advertisement with Hirono to demonstrate his support.Read More »The Lessons of Hawaii and Alaska
On election day, the people of Puerto Rico will have no direct say in who becomes President of the United States. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. They serve in the U.S. military. But as a territory and not a state, Puerto Rico has no Electoral College votes, and its residents have no formal voice on election day.
Yet Puerto Rico has already impacted the presidential election, and the influence of the Puerto Rican vote within the 50 states is expected to be a factor in November.Read More »Puerto Rican Influence in the Presidential Election
At a recent hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, “Boosting Opportunities and Growth Through Tax Reform,” congressional testimony highlighted the effectiveness of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) in lifting children out of poverty. Studies have affirmed for years that the EITC and CTC encourage work, and research now shows that these federal policies also improve children’s school performance and boost their productivity and earnings into adulthood.Read More »A Proven Work Incentive – But Only For States
While Puerto Ricans can’t vote in presidential elections and don’t have U.S.Senators to represent them, they do have someone speaking for them – their Resident Commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives. Isn’t that just as good? One or two votes rarely change the result of a vote in Congress, and any speaker can potentially influence many votes.Read More »Representing 3.7 Million U.S. Citizens in Congress – All Without the Power to Vote
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visited San Juan on Friday, assuring the people of Puerto Rico that a strategy is in place to cope with increasing drug-related violence on the island. She said firmly that heightened security for U.S. border states was not affecting the level of support for the Caribbean.Read More »U.S. Responds to Concerns About Violence in Puerto Rico
The Federal Reserve Bank’s recent report on the competitiveness of Puerto Rico’s economy included a recommendation to reduce barriers to job creation and labor force participation by improving incentives to work.
Download the full report.Read More »The Promise of the Puerto Rican Economy and Geographic Discrimination
Although Puerto Ricans can’t vote in presidential elections as long as they reside in Puerto Rico, they can vote when they move to the mainland, as millions do. After all, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
However, Pennsylvania newspaper Philly.com has reported that the recent spate of voter ID laws may prevent many Puerto Ricans from voting in any election in the states in which they live.Read More »Do Voter ID Laws Affect Puerto Ricans Disproportionately?
Congressional consideration of the 2012 Farm Bill is once again raising issues about Puerto Rico’s status as a territory and the practical implications of that status.
The United States Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill on June 21st. The Agriculture Committee in the House of Representatives approved a different version of the bill on July 12th. The Agriculture Committee’s measure now must move to the full House of Representatives. Puerto Rico’s treatment in the two different Farm Bills – and its history under federal nutritional assistance programs generally – is illustrative of what it means to be a territory and not a state.Read More »Nutrition Assistance in Puerto Rico: What It Means to be a Territory
Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño is engaged in a series of meetings with federal government officials with an eye towards solving the problem of drug trafficking and associated violence in Puerto Rico.Read More »Working Against Drug-Related Violence in Puerto Rico
